Zbikowski unlikely to play vs. Jaguars

Starting strong safety still hasn't been cleared for contact

October 22, 2011|By Edward Lee

The Ravens confirmed what Tom Zbikowski suggested Saturday by listing the starting strong safety as doubtful for Monday night’s game against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Coach John Harbaugh said Zbikowski – who has been dogged by symptoms stemming from the concussion he sustained in the Ravens’ 17-point win against the New York Jets on Oct. 2 – still has not been cleared for contact.

Zbikowski practiced on a limited basis for the second time this week, but he was kept out of all contact drills.

Zbikowski said his post-concussion symptoms have almost dissipated, but he acknowledged that the pace of recovery has been slow.

“Obviously, it’s never as fast as you want it to be,” he said after Saturday’s session. “You want to be back as soon as you can, but once again, it’s a brain injury. It’s not a hamstring injury or something like that. It’s something that I’m taking pretty good precautions on before I get out there.”

Even if Zbikowski is cleared on Sunday or Monday, he didn’t sound optimistic that he would be available against the Jaguars.

“Yeah, I don’t know,” he said. “We’ll decide as we go. I’ve still got a couple days. I’ll see how I feel after today, too, when I wake up tomorrow. I’ll get a better feel tomorrow and Monday when I’m there, too.”